Leon Alcibiates
Prince Coronate Leon Alcibiates d'Yggdrasil is a former Andain bard originally from Grandbell. He is the son of Artemicia and Bors de Montblanc, husband of Miyuki Ofuchi and father of Ayna Alcibiates. He worked with the Fellowship of Miletos during the Ofuchi Usurpation and the Manster Rebellion and was slain by Arawn Losstarot during the Arawn Losstarot War. He was resurrected over a thousand years later as a revenant and helped the Grand Alliance during the Great War, and gained a true mortal body after he helped plant the Silverbranch Tree on the Isle of Yggdrasil. After he returned from the isle, he married Miyuki, moved to Maar Sul with her and ruled the kingdom as a regent until the rightful heir Gerard Aurelac assumed the throne with his blessing. Leon then travelled abroad with the Fellowship of Maar Sul to find a means to end the Blood Fever and was reunited with his old friends from the Grand Alliance whom he is now accompanying. Biography Early Years Childhood Leon Alcibiates was born as a full-blooded Andain in the Second Age because he was the son of the goddess Artemicia and the mortal Count Bors de Montblanc. He had two brothers and one sister, Sara Alcibiates. His brothers were bastards, but his sister was more precious to him than anyone in the world at that time. Bors found out that Leon was bisexual and disowned him, and shortly after killed Leon's sister in a drunken rage. Disheartened, Leon began to wander the world alone as a bard, leading to his eventual meeting with various heroes. Ofuchi Usurpation The journey Leon had undertaken would influence him in other ways too. He had been searching for his mother, Artemicia, hoping that she would be more benevolent than his abusive father had been. As Leon prayed to Artemicia in a city alley, a group of thugs attacked him, and Artemicia appeared on the scene and frightened the thugs away. Leon's gratefulness soon turned to terror when Artemicia told him that she did not care about him and that he would now have to pay for wasting her time. She used her godly powers to poison Leon and left him with immense pain. Leon later met up with Hiroshi Hayabusa in Valhalla, the capital of Grandbell, shortly after the rightful king was killed and deposed by Taro Ofuchi, a shamanic wizard of immense power. Hiroshi, formerly an unwilling apprentice of Ofuchi, carried Krystallopyr, a crystal sword which absorbed the lifeforce of its victims and stored it as pure magical energy. Ofuchi had been using Krystallopyr to augment his own power, and Hiroshi had stolen it when he had recovered his free will. Leon travelled with Hiroshi on a mission to overthrow Ofuchi and met with other heroes with a similar goal. This group became known as the Fellowship of Miletos as it was led by the mage Raistlin II who originated from Miletos. The fellowship eventually defeated Taro Ofuchi and his lich servant Drishnek but with the price of Hiroshi's life. Leon was heartbroken by this as he had slowly fallen in love with Hiroshi during their adventures. Krystallopyr was then passed into the keeping of Raistlin II to prevent it from being used by other power-hungry people. The effects of Artemicia's poison were getting worse, however, and ended up triggering Leon's dormant Andain powers. Leon turned into a blue kestrel and flew into the woods surrounding Raistlin's tower. There he met with Taliesin, the Lord of the Andain, who eventually told him how to use the poison as a means to control his Andain powers and shapeshift back into his original shape. Leon learned about the Laws of the Andain only gradually because Taliesin felt that Leon was still too young to use all his powers and thus he kept many things hidden from Leon. This annoyed Leon who eventually discovered many of the laws himself despite Taliesin's pleas to be more patient. Manster Rebellion Manster hit hard times when the greedy King Kheldar began conspiring with forces of darkness. The king sided with the demon Yurius who had been freed by an ambitious mage. Yurius, however, quickly took over, turning Kheldar into a puppet king whose resources the demon would put to good use to destroy the world. However, the long-lost nephew of Kheldar, Agarwaen, emerged from Thracia and wished to reclaim the throne his uncle had taken from him because he was the rightful heir to the throne. Agarwaen sought help from people, but few nations dared to interfere in Manster's internal politics, especially because many believed the recent monster attacks were simply random and couldn't imagine that a demon was behind them. Many believed Yurius to be a mere myth which Kheldar used to scare the populace. Agarwaen did meet with the Fellowship of Miletos eventually and recruited them once they understood that Kheldar and Yurius had to be stopped. This effectively marked the beginning of what would be known as the Manster Rebellion as the fellowship would stir the oppressed people to oppose Kheldar and Yurius's ambitions. Finally seeing a cause he could actually contribute to now that he was mastering his dormant Andain powers, Leon swore to the spirit of Hiroshi Hayabusa that he would restore peace to Manster and defeat Yurius. This act would have unforeseen consequences as the oath invoked and violated one of the Laws of the Andain, and the resulting power freed the captive Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul from the seal placed upon him by Taliesin. Kagetsu emerged in the form of a black dire wolf who was linked to Leon due to the augmented oath and couldn't change back to a more humanoid form until the bond was broken. This bond forced Kagetsu to appear occasionally to save Leon from mortal peril although he didn't enjoy it. The Dark Andain's anger at being linked to another's lifeforce eventually drove him to side with Yurius with hopes of freeing himself from the bond he shared with Leon. Leon travelled with the fellowship to seek out items of power which Agarwaen claimed they would need to defeat Yurius. However, each item was protected by fierce monsters, and Yurius's minions were already on to them. To this end the group split up at key points to locate the artifacts simultaneously and thus prevent Yurius from seizing them for himself first. During these adventures Leon fell in love with the fellowship member Alexis Luchester who didn't shiv a git about him, and at one point Leon and Raistlin II were attacked by hundreds of pink fluffy bunnies. Eventually the fellowship was victorious, and Raistlin II banished Yurius into a dimensional plane where the demon lord would be trapped for all eternity. Kheldar was deposed, and Agarwaen was crowned King of Manster. Grandbell Civil War Having fulfilled his oath to Hiroshi, Leon felt fulfilled. His bond with Kagetsu was broken, and Kagetsu retreated after Yurius had been beaten. News spread soon after that Grandbell was in turmoil. Adevia and Khasra I, the rulers of the provinces of Alenia and Scundia, respectively, had chosen to become independent, partly fueled by the cruelties they had to endure during Taro Ofuchi's rule. The once united nation of Grandbell fractured into squabbling factions, which marked the beginning of the Grandbell Civil War. Leon participated in the war on the Loyalists' side and came to know the Silverbranch Brothers--Alain, Despard, and Grady--whom he befriended. The Loyalists eventually prevailed and defeated Adevia's coalition, putting an end to the civil war. However, Alain died during the conflict, and Despard blamed Leon's inaction for his death, which weighed on Leon's mind heavily as Alain had been a dear friend. Scundia's independence was recognized post-war by Lysander Trathiel, though, in part because Khasra had eventually defected from Adevia's forces and shown loyalty to Grandbell. Meditation in Solitude Leon was troubled by the deaths of the civil war and how he could've been of more use if he had mastered all his Andain powers. He resolved to retreat to the Isle of Yggdrasil to study ancient tomes and learn more about his Andain powers so that when the time arose, he'd be ready to save the world, but this time in better capacity. Before he left, he made sure to empty the ruined city of Lea Monde from any ancient war machines should any ambitious enemy try to locate the city and use the machines to spread terror. However, Leon chose to leave the Soap behind in the ruins just to spite any would be tomb raider foolish enough to enter Lea Monde. Arawn Losstarot War While in the Isle of Yggdrasil, Leon wrote a bunch of prophecies, not quite sure where he was receiving the visions but nevertheless taking them seriously. It was because of these subconsciously written prophecies that Leon came to learn of the rise of Arawn Losstarot, a descendant of the infamous warlord Sydney Losstarot, and how Arawn's existence could lead to the destruction of the world. The price of the gift of prophecy was that one could not do anything to affect one once it was underway, so he had to use others as pawns to reach the desired outcome. To prevent the prophecy from coming true, Leon left the island and returned to the outside world to see if Arawn already existed and if he could be defeated before things would escalate. He sent various letters to his old comrades and royals in order to warn them about the coming doom and prepare for things to come. Unbeknownst to Leon one of these letters was in fact intercepted by the agents of Arawn Losstarot who would use the information in the letter to his advantage in the future. Leon's travels led him to reunite with many of his old fellowship comrades such as Raistlin II. He summoned several heads of state and heroes to a summit between the Four Lords of the Poles in order to broker a peace between the army of the Grand Alliance led by Agarwaen and the army of Maar Sul led by Kagetsu who had been at odds for a while now when Maar Sul had grown in power since the end of the Manster Rebellion. Leon hoped that by preventing the conflict between the two armies he would stop the gloomy prophecy from coming true. If the prophecy turned out as Leon hoped, Kagetsu would be turned to the Alliance by the end of the day, and there would be no battle, save to mop up what few forces Arawn brought along. Leon didn't know how Arawn would know to come, but he knew he'd be there. As long as Leon himself had no agency in Arawn's arrival, the prophecy would take the fork leading to victory and not the one leading to worldwide warfare. At last Arawn himself appeared, revealing himself as one of the four Lords whose presence Leon had prophesied. However, Leon came to realize much to his horror that Arawn had intercepted one of his letters and had only shown up in the summit because of Leon's letter; had Leon not written the letter and sent it, Arawn would never have appeared, and thus Leon's very actions to prevent the prophecy from coming true had in fact caused it. He had had an agency in Arawn's arrival, and now the prophecy would take a turn for the worse. After a brief but tense talk with the other representatives, Arawn used his hidden Vulfsatz agents to sneak up on and kidnap Kagetsu's wife Marya Aurelac de Maar Sul. Arawn then blackmailed Kagetsu to destroy the army of the Alliance or else Marya would die. Kagetsu valued his wife more than anything else, so he reluctantly agreed to Arawn's terms and began the war. Arawn, Marya and the Vulfsatz teleported to Arawn's fortress, leaving the two armies to fight against one another. The Arawn Losstarot War had begun in earnest, plunging the whole world into war. First Death Leon, realizing that his actions had caused all of this, resolved to face Arawn himself and use his Andain powers to kill him before Arawn could grow more powerful. He hoped that by killing Arawn and freeing Marya he could stop the war in its tracks. He sneaked into Arawn's fortress and disposed of the guards before finally facing the warlock himself. However, Arawn turned out to be tapping power from Mardük and proved to have grown too powerful by now for Leon to handle by himself. After a brief but brutal struggle, Arawn unleashed all his powers to subdue Leon before he wrestled Renu's magical dagger from his hand and stabbed Leon thirty-seven times in the spleen while charging the dagger with Leon's Andain lifeforce, thus granting Arawn the necessary power to finally set the final stage of his grand plan in motion and resurrect the might of Lea Monde. Leon realized that by showing up to face Arawn he had once again unwittingly sped up the prophecy and that all his actions had been in vain and only caused more misery. As he lay dying in a pool of his own blood, his last thoughts were of his dear sister Sara who welcomed him home where he could finally rest in peace. Shortly after Leon's death, Raistlin II managed to free Marya from Arawn's stronghold and return her to Kagetsu on the condition that Kagetsu side with the Alliance against Arawn in order to end the world and honour Leon's sacrifice. However, Kagetsu's betrayal of the Grand Alliance during the Second Battle of Lea Monde set in motion events, which included the deaths of Kagetsu and Arawn as well as the Explosion which ended the Second Age that would necessitate Leon's resurrection and conversion to full mortality a millennium later. Distreyd Era Resurrection Leon was resurrected as a revenant in an ancient necromantic rite by Ayna Silverbranch who didn't think things through. She had prophesied that darkness would spread unless the world was purged from the taint which plagued it with help from the mystic Silver Branch and that only an Andain could accomplish such a deed. Because Leon had been a friend of the Silverbranch Brothers and the only truly trustworthy Andain, Ayna had resolved to use her family's connection to him to resurrect him and entrust the Silver Branch to him in order to save the world. Although Leon's Andain powers were sealed off in his new revenant body, they remained latent, and in this Third Age the powers of the Andain were distributed throughout the entire world as so-called Innate Abilities. Because Leon occupied a revenant body which was essentially his body but undead, he didn't have to breathe or eat, but he had also lost most of his powers, thus being effectively a mere mortal. Ayna died soon after resurrecting Leon. The former Andain read the instructions she had left behind and then sailed to Remon to seek out people who could help him use the Silver Branch to save the world from the coming darkness. He hoped he would be of better use this time than the last time when his actions had nearly led to Arawn's victory. Gathering the Fellowship Leon was eventually responsible for gathering the Fellowship of Tes Pellaria in Remon and taking them to Tes Pellaria, which released the Faerfolc to the world and sowed the seeds of the forming of the new Grand Alliance under Marcus Sarillius who the spirit of Agarwaen stated was his rightful heir and thus the true king of Remon. Leon became Marcus's mentor and helped him assume the role of king as the Great War against Yamato began. He was also reunited with a handful of friends from the past, Daventhalas de Mont Hault and BoB the Jaguar. A new Grand Alliance was eventually formed in Sanae just before the Battle of Folsworth Woods, and Leon received the magical Flute of Taliesin during his stay in the woods and considered the flute one of his most prized possessions. He participated in the battle in the Alliance's ranks and witnessed the Alliance's first true victory against the Yamatian occupation forces. During the campaign Leon also befriended several newcomers to the Alliance, most notably the Akai Tora member Miyuki Ofuchi and the royal Maar Sulais brothers Kagetsu II and Geraud Aurelac who, much to Leon's surprise, also had the spirits of Despard and Grady Silverbranch--Leon's old friends from the time of the Grandbell Civil War--residing in their bodies. The Great War When Leon unwittingly managed to access his Andain powers briefly during the First Battle of Remonton, it caused a short period of time in which magic did not work throughout the ''entire world. Leon then travelled to the Isle of Yggdrasil to bequeath the Silver Branch to Geraud Aurelac and to cure the Landpoison which was affecting Yamato. On the way to the island onboard the Starburst, Leon was convinced that he had to die in order to preserve magic because his revenant existence, which could also paradoxically access his former Andain powers, was threatening the balance of the world. What happened afterwards was uncertain, but it's clear that the magic during the planting of the new world tree, which became known as the Silverbranch Tree due to Geraud sacrificing himself by fusing with the Silver Branch, granted Leon full mortality instead, effectively rending the bard's latent Andain powers from him. Leons resurrection had caused unusual complications other than the brief cessation of magic. Because he was formerly Andain, his passage into the Land of the Living had opened up a rift that allowed the dead to escape. Amongst those of the dead to enter the world of the living were the Silverbranch brothers and Drishnek. This rift also allowed the spirit of Jemuel to escape and occupy one of his clones who were being raised by Dante Albrigant who in turn was manipulated by Drishnek for his own ends. Leon finally sorted out the triangle drama he had with Ryoji Mishima and Miyuki Ofuchi before leaving the Isle of Yggdrasil, and he eventually married the latter. After so many years of hardship, Leon Alcibiates had finally gained some happiness in his life. Godslayer Era The Age of Emptiness King Kagetsu II of Maar Sul had appointed his close friend Leon as heir apparent due to the absence of any heirs of legal majority just before he died. For this reason, at the start of the Godslayer Era, Leon had become the Prince Regent of Maar Sul, ruling in the stead of the minor Prince Gerard Aurelac. Leon hated this; he didn't want responsibility of an entire nation to fall on his hands, but thankfully many nobles in the court helped him in administrative matters, which allowed Maar Sul to become one of the few nations to survive unscathed after the Cataclysm. During his time as regent Leon sent people to search for a potential threat to the Maar Sulais throne which one of his old prophecies had mentioned. On Death's Trail Leon, Gerard, Khasra III and a bunch of others planned all sort of stuff while various villains were running loose in the countryside. A Game of Deception When Maar Sul was invaded by communists, Leon convinced Gerard to step up to the throne formally in spite of his age. Leon himself formed the Fellowship of Maar Sul which travelled towards the Silverbranch Tree in an effort to cure the Blood Fever currently plaguing Remon, which would then help stabilize Remon and allow Remoners to aid Maar Sul in its darkest hour. Since there were no known Aurelacs available other than Gerard at the time, Leon was appointed the Crown Prince of Maar Sul upon Gerard's ascension to the throne. Leon wasn't happy about this but grudgingly accepted the title out of courtesy to Gerard. Echoes of War More info later. A Crimson Dawn More info later. Tears of the Sun The Winds of Wrath Sowing Season Leon accompanied the heroes of the Grand Alliance to Alent in order to negotiate with Jemuel. He was not particularly happy to see Jemuel again because the memories of Drishnek's attack and Jemuel's cold attitude were still vivid in his mind, though. Devourer's Reach The Point of No Return Defiler's Touch Heart of Darkness Aliases and Nicknames ; Leon Alcibiates d'Yggdrasil : Leon styles himself like this in honour of the fully mortal body which the Yggdrasil World Tree granted him at the Isle of Yggdrasil. ; Prince Coronate of Maar Sul : A title Leon received after King Gerard's ascension to the throne in 1017 AE. ; Prince Regent of Maar Sul : A title Leon held during his regency of Maar Sul between the years 1006-1017 AE. Appearance Long blond hair, starting to go gray at the temples. As he was Andain or undead most of his life, Leon had not aged until towards the end of the Great War when he was granted a fully mortal, living body which replaced his revenant body. Presently he looks like he's in his 40s. Personality and Traits Leon has done a lot of suffering, so he's pretty emo. He's politically conservative and artsy. The years are finally taking a toll on him as the past decade has been the first time his body has actually aged since he's no longer an Andain or a revenant. Powers and Abilities While he was an Andain, he could cast powerful spells by tapping into the hidden power behind the Laws of the Andain. His totem shapeshifting form was that of a white kestrel, and he could shapeshift between it and his human form at will. He also had the gift of Prophecy although even he couldn't decipher immediately what his cryptic visions of the future meant at first. After he was resurrected and granted a fully mortal body at the end of the Great War, he lost all his Andain powers and even his ability to take his kestrel form. He's rather good at playing his flute, though, and it has brought tears to many eyes over the years due to the sad and bittersweet melodies which he often plays with finesse. It is worth noting that Leon wrote some extremely powerful support and enhancement spells during his tenure as an Andain--he just can't cast them anymore now that he's fully mortal and no longer possesses his former strength. Relationships Agarwaen Leon and Agarwaen were good friends, and Leon helped Agarwaen reclaim his throne during the Manster Rebellion. Alexis Luchester Leon fell in love with Alexis, but Alexis never loved him back. Alexis's memory would come to haunt Leon centuries later when Leon bumped into Alexis's descendant Dorcas. Arawn Losstarot Leon feared and despised Arawn and hoped that his actions would ensure Arawn's downfall and prevent the world from getting destroyed. However, Leon's actions ended up doing the very opposite of what he had intended, which later led to the Explosion. Arawn saw Leon as nothing more as a weakling and a means to an end to fulfill his vision. Years after being resurrected, Leon is still bitter about Arawn having stabbed him in the spleen thirty-seven times and views all present-day Losstarots with suspicion, claiming that the threat of their bloodline eclipses even the demons. Artemicia At first Leon believed his divine mother Artemicia was a good, benevolent deity. He learned the hard way years later that Artemicia was in fact amoral and cared little for him. Artemicia's poison made Leon reflect on the nature of the gods, and he later renounced her, choosing a new path. The two are on bad terms, and any meeting between the two is cold at best. Ayna Alcibiates Leon is the father of Ayna Alcibiates. He cares for her deeply and has named her after the mystic Ayna Silverbranch who originally resurrected him. BoB the Jaguar BoB thought Leon was quite emo but other than that they got along. He liked listening to Leon's music, and Leon was glad to see familiar people around who accepted him the way he was. Daventhalas de Mont Hault Daven and Leon get along. He has sympathy for Leon's plight and wishes to help him if he is able. Despard Silverbranch Leon is close friends with Despard. Gerard Aurelac Leon acted as Gerard's mentor until Gerard came of age. Gerard values Leon's counsel and puts his trust on him on many matters. Hiroshi Hayabusa Leon loved Hiroshi, but Hiroshi saw Leon as nothing but a friend. Hiroshi's death shook Leon deeply, and he later swore on Hiroshi's name to end the Manster Rebellion. Hiroshi's spirit would contact Leon thousands of years later in a pivotal moment during the battle in Remonton to prevent Leon from accidentally destroying all magic in the world. Kagetsu I Leon saw the good in Kagetsu when most people saw him as a monster. Kagetsu himself cared little for Leon but had enough honour to at least listen to him. Leon tried time and time again to turn Kagetsu to the side of the Alliance but with little success, and centuries later Leon came to view Kagetsu as a betrayer who had fallen too deep into darkness to be redeemed, especially after Kagetsu's actions had caused the Explosion which had killed many of Leon's friends. Khasra Mallorein III Leon is close friends with Khasra III. Marcus Sarillius Leon acted as a mentor and a close friend to Marcus during the early years of the Great War. This bond went even so deep that Marcus even considered sacrificing his entire army just to stop the Yamatians from executing Leon. When Leon left after the liberation of Remon, Marcus felt insecure and lost and was easily manipulated by various people around him. Miyuki Ofuchi Leon is married to Miyuki Ofuchi. They originally bonded during the First Battle of Remonton, and that bond deepened on their trip to the Isle of Yggdrasil. Miyuki has helped Leon open up more and take responsibility, and Leon's presence has mellowed Miyuki down a bit although she still can't help but tease him at times. Despite their occasional banter, they care for each other deeply. Raistlin II Leon and Raistlin II were comrades-in-arms and sometimes snarked at one another. Leon considered Raistlin as one of his few true friends. Taliesin Taliesin and Leon have a lengthy history. They once were in a master-apprentice relationship although Leon was often frustrated by Taliesin keeping vital information from him and using him as a pawn to further the gods' agenda. Since their reunion in the Third Age, Leon is somewhat unsure of Taliesin's reappearance but is willing to give him a chance, hoping that the once Andain lord will help the Alliance in its time of need. See also *Andain *Arawn Losstarot *Artemicia *Fellowship of Maar Sul *Fellowship of Miletos *Fellowship of Tes Pellaria *Flute of Taliesin *Grandbell *House of Alcibiates *Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul *Leon's Prophecies *Maar Sul *Marcus Sarillius *Silver Branch *Taliesin Category:Andain Category:Characters Category:Fellowship of Maar Sul Category:Grand Alliance Category:Grandbell Category:Humans Category:House of Alcibiates Category:Maar Sul (faction) Category:Maar Sul (nation) Category:Second Age Category:Third Age